The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1887-11-20
sHIpWRIGHTs. NO. I.
Representatives OF Industry which was
Once Famous In New York.


In small but comfortable hall at GO East
Broadway. on the second Wednesday OF every
month. meets a body Of about hundred men
whose faces bear traces OF moro than ordinary
intelligence. but whose hands are hardened
with toll. Most of them are notwithstanding
characters. Probably half Of them are grand
papas. Some OF them have whiskers as long
and as white as the ideal patriarchs. These
men. or at least some Of them. have been meet
ing together for mutual benefit for over thirty
years. They are all that is left OF trades
union that has gone quietly along considering
only its own grievances and its own welfare.
1t is the Shpwrights Union No. /. and 1t COM
prises the last OF the shipwriGhts Of New York.
When an industry is conspicuously declining
few young men e In It. The old men keep
wrehts have died III Just about as fast as the
industry has. so that there has been little or no
$500 shipwrights kept busy along South street
Sn the shps Rs
Large numbers were busy, too along the
body OF men questions OF mutual concern came
up frequently, and In 1854 union OF all the
ton 81 tho old Wooden hS!s and their rIseng
The records Of this old organization. which an
that Of the matters. have been lost. and what It
did. who they were, and what were the sub
II remember" said old John Hazelton. the
81
on the blocks In Greenpoint alone. | worked
thssf s "a along ss of hs Snn's
Tho union met every second Wednesday as
now. 30 f h.., as any one can remember now
the bosses. Tho wages earned wore from So to
1925. Almost all OF tn work was on banks
days When the building Of pleasuPrs s craft should
exceed the building OF any other kind In New
York waters had not yet arrived.
for s5s o srke nF
TALLY successful, although q days wages was
Bss p2is IN S asps yss n a ,s %s
with the shipbqilders. Both sides thercsiort6
a the Of q ~ %
tie S
SS6DR aes
to the, sea and followed that the rost Of their
lives. but some came back.
e % IT. IL Thers no% on H the Tes
s nH ane m Witch WORKS is in
ter comprises all the .shipwrights Of Brooklyn
consider those who do not and will not belong
70 the union as scabs, but they, are Obliged and
so long as the scabs do not cut down our
u.s." said an old union shipwright Tt is not
our policy to down man necessarily because
wages and work the same hours, and the non
are Very lew q them any way, They are most lost
~ employed in the navy yard. We are mu-
In
Just this Kind Of sensible conservatism has
made its life peaceful and useful. They have
not Joined the Knights of Labor. Tho union
It the IN When
sorts OF work ngmen, and 4 was deemed best
to keep out. The shipwrights are not consti-
II they became Knights they were liable to be
called out e be idle Il some mechanic whose
STRIKE In this way Without any soed to tSsm
tinually putting themselves and their bosses
Il is noticeable fact that most of the ship
ts are or nd BORN
some irtshmen. but most Of them SW were born s
Union is Hssdershest. H. G Is no. 80 Old old
and has lived in the Seventh ward ever since;
nancial Secretary. The most patriarchal look
ing shipwright In the lot Is the Recording Sec
rotary. He looks like the pictures IN the old
small. thin face Of Intelligent mould, with spec
tacles over his bright little eyes, and q white
flowing beard, foot long, and ringing his
pleasant features all around. He goes among
his books and papers. and about his other
business, as lively as u kitten. John Mcnamara
Is u young man who has charge OF the funds Of
the society 81 ,242 The trustees are W. Dunkler,
j. Lockhardt. and l.. O'Brien.
AT the last meeting OF the union 1t was voted
that after Jan. | there should be no eiEhths.
but quarters Instead. The meaning OF this Is
that when a shipwright Is set to work at a Job
and for some reason has to stop In a few min
utes he has been accustomed to charge an
eighth OF a day. This has resulted in making
work more or less unsteady, and 50 II a man
works few minutes he will charge for quar-
ter OF q day. The principal places whore ship
wrights are employed now are the yards Of q.
4 r. Poillon. Sampson Il Goodwin, Stangriff
& Co., Cornish Il Maurmil. Jonkans 4 TregRr-
then and James Shuen.
The rules OF the union are strict regarding
tho temperance and industry OF its members.
No meetings can be held In or adjoining lager
beor saloons. and when members once get into
n meeting they arc not allowed to 90 out with
out permission until the roll Is called at the
end. IL they arc not there at roll call they
catch fine OF twenty-five cents. The ship
tutored men. They have homes and families
nd tad III =